Sailor Moon X: Lunar Eclipse
a Sailor Moon/X-Men crossover
Chapter 34: Magnetic Personalities
8-26-2018
by Grey-X
Disclaimer: Sailor Moon is the creation and property of Naoko Takeuchi and Toei Animation. X-Men is the creation and property of Stan Lee, Marvel Comics and Disney.
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The four of them stepped out of the ruined transport as the mutants drew closer. Umino couldn't believe this was happening again. Magneto, the supervillain feared the world over, once again came out of nowhere for Naru. Last time he professed he only wished to speak with Naru, but had arranged another fight between her and Usagi. And that was only possible because Umino went along with seizing the Sentinels until the last second. Seeing Magneto now, Umino was more grateful than ever he had made that difficult choice, avoided playing into his hands.
Magneto had been disingenuous about his aims before, but now, there was no mistaking his intentions. He wasn't bothering with persuasion now. Coming for Naru with his army at his back? This was a show of force, pure and simple. He would have Naru, one way or another.
No, this can't be happening. He can't have her, Umino told himself. But how was he supposed to keep that from happening? He was supposed to be just as smart as Magneto, but his mind was blank from fear. Magneto might not be needlessly cruel to humans, most of the time, but his followers were another matter.
Nick Fury, however, was another story. He stood tall, ready to stand his ground. As Magneto drew closer, the Brotherhood and his Acolytes now hanging back, Fury muttered, "That's right, Mags. Come and get it." To Umino's horror, he pulled some sort of gun out of his coat.
"Fury, don't be an idiot," Walters snapped.
"Plastic gun, Shulkie," said Fury calmly. "I figured something like this could happen."
"So did just about everyone else assigned to the convoy. AND Sunfire had their backs," said Walters. "Look what good it did them."
"Let's face it, people. We're seriously outgunned here," said Umino. He glanced over at Naru. Unsurprisingly, she was scared stiff, staring at Magneto in disbelief. A bit of anger pierced through Umino's fear. Naru finally saw reason, agreed to stand trial, and most importantly trust in other people again. Now Magneto had to come back and muck everything up!
"I'd like to suggest a tactical retreat. But the X-Men tell me Osaka's teleporting power hurts passengers pretty bad, so it could kill Sunfire with the condition he's in," Fury grumbled. "Shulkie and Osaka power-leaping us away won't work either. Plenty of those mutants can follow us easy."
"You're probably right about that," said Naru. Her voice trembled a little, but suddenly, Naru stood a little straighter. There was a hardness to her gaze now. "So I'll have to fix things another way." With that, she began walking from the transport, toward Magneto.
Umino grabbed her wrist to pull her back. "Naru, are you nuts? You're going to try and fight Magneto and his entire army single-handedly?"
Naru shot him an amused glare. "I'm not that crazy, Umino. But he's clearly here for me. I have to handle this, mutant-to-mutant."
"Just how d'you intend to do that?" Fury demanded.
"Look, what they just did must've made Cerebro light up like a Christmas tree," said Naru. "If I can buy us some time until the X-Men and Sailor Senshi arrive, we might make it through this." Fury still didn't look convinced, so Naru went on. "If you want to help, Fury, tend to Sunfire. It looks like he was hurt pretty badly. And She-Hulk... Can you keep an eye on Umino, make sure none of those Acolytes snag him on the sly?"
"I'll... do what I can, Ms. Osaka," said Walters. Both Fury and Walters were obviously surprised by how Naru was keeping a cool head, taking command of the situation. But they couldn't see any flaws in her plan. Or at least, neither had a better one.
"Naru, please, be careful," Umino managed to get out.
Naru flashed an uneasy smile. "Just... stick close to my lawyer, Umino. I'll be fine."
Umino nodded, fear gluing his tongue down. Fury knelt down to tend to Sunfire's injuries, while Umino could sense Walters looming over him. He stared helplessly as Naru walked over to confront Magneto face-to-face.
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Naru wasn't quite sure where this sudden burst of confidence came from, but it was already fading. Magneto had stopped his advance, his Acolytes and the Brotherhood a good distance behind him. There were only a few meters separating the two of them, now. But Naru cast nervous glances at those Acolytes. After seeing that hospital footage, she was deathly afraid of them getting anywhere near Umino.
And the other humans here on the streets... Naru looked around, seeing several of the injured police officers pulled to safety. All the pedestrians hanging back, watching fearfully. It still stung, how so many were clearly afraid of her too, not just Magneto and his forces. Naru knew it was up to her to shield them from harm, all the same.
This could quickly become a bloodbath if I don't play this right, Naru realized. It amazed Naru, how easily concern for these bystanders came for her. After letting go of some of that pent-up bitterness, she could finally see things more clearly. Time to make Magneto see that I can never be part of his vision.
Finally, the two of them stood about a couple meters apart. Unlike before, Magneto kept his helmet on, most of his face draped in shadow. Naru gulped, then spread her arms, hoping she looked aloof.
"Well, Magneto, was this destruction derby really necessary?" Naru demanded insouciantly. "I'm a big deal in the mutant community, I get it. But in case you didn't see the news, I kind of had other plans."
"Yes, needlessly throwing your life away, possibly letting your talent languish forever as you submit yourself to human law," said Magneto. There was a hint of contempt regarding her decision. "I cannot allow that. I tried that once, believing that allowing human justice to run its course would lead to better outcomes for our kind. Those hopes were cruelly dashed."
"Yeah, well, I've got this big green pile of muscle and brains in my corner, so I'll take my chances," said Naru. "Unless this was part of your plan. Make me look so bad by staging a rescue I didn't want, ensuring I'll be tried in the press."
"You give me took much credit, Ms. Osaka," said Magneto. "But perhaps you are right. I could have simply broken you out once you were incarcerated, seeing as how I just sprang someone else."
"Someone else?" Naru repeated. She looked past Magneto, at the small army gathered a good distance behind him.
There, looking quite small and pathetic between Blob and the Kleinstocks, was Erina Kizachi. She was still in an orange jumpsuit, needing a sling to support her broken arm. Stitches and bandages covered her face, and she was without her special glasses. Those chalky eyes now lacked the spark from before.
Naru glared at Magneto again, gritting her teeth. "Oh, THAT'LL convince me. Break her out of prison."
"She and I have unfinished business," Magneto said simply. "As do we. You said it yourself last time we met. You've seen too much of humanity's ugliness when faced with what they don't care to understand."
"And like Sailor Moon told me during that fight you and Kizachi arranged, there's beauty mixed in with the ugliness," Naru retorted. "I saw it for myself, when I was perp-walked from the shrine. There were just as many people turning out to show support for me as there were to vent at me, maybe more. I don't know how this is going to go, Magneto. But your antics have caused me enough grief already. What makes you think a display like this will make me more receptive?"
The aim was to keep him talking, drag this out until the X-Men and Sailor Senshi could surround them and hit hard. So far, it looked like it was working. So Naru went on. "And don't take this the wrong way, Lehnsherr, but I figured you were more confident of your power. Any special reason you need an entire army to back you up against one fellow mutant?"
"I've learned not to be so overconfident over the years," said Magneto, his calm never wavering. "Besides, you're not exactly alone, either."
Magneto looked past her, and Naru followed his gaze. Fury still had his gun drawn. His coat must have been fireproof, since Walters tore it up for Fury to use as makeshift bandages and a sling for Sunfire. Fire roared around Sunfire's clenched fists. Walters kicked off her heels as Magneto glared at them, anticipating trouble.
She then turned to look over at Magneto's forces. They didn't exactly look laid back either. The one Naru figured was Exodus glared at Naru's group with glowing eyes, as if itching for Magneto to order a strike. The one called Random already had his arms transformed into blasters. Blob leered at her, cracking his knuckles, while Unuscione's psionic exoskeleton crackled with her insane fury.
The Sailor Senshi and X-Men won't make it. This standoff is too tense, Naru thought fearfully, turning back to her group. Fury, Walters and Sunfire stood firm. Umino was standing just behind them, partially hidden from view. But as Naru squinted, she saw something else. Some creeping green mist, almost invisible in the nighttime gloom.
Naru's eyes widened, remembering what she had heard about another Acolyte. "Sunfire, Amelia Voght's making a grab for Umino! Vaporize her!"
Sunfire immediately turned and unleashed a blazing volley at the green gas creeping up behind them. At the same time, Naru heard some of Magneto's army charge ahead. The fight was on.
But Naru spotted something further down the street that could help. Smirking, she teleported away. Then, upon seizing what she came for, made a huge leap back. And with a furious shriek, dropped down toward Magneto while brandishing a huge tree.
Magneto looked up, and that magnetic bubble sprang up around him. Naru swung the tree down, and it snapped apart as it made contact, making the whole street quake. But at least she was keeping Magneto occupied. So long as he wasn't lobbing metal objects at the others, they might hold out until backup arrived.
Walters was fending off Sabretooth and Blob, while Fury and Sunfire stuck close to Umino, slowly retreating as they fired back at Unuscione and Random. So far, they were holding out. Naru aimed to make sure they would keep doing so.
Her fingers dug into two sizeable pieces of the tree's remains, and she leaped at Magneto again. The street shook as she landed one powerful blow after another with the only things handy that Magneto couldn't readily affect. But though Naru struck with all her might, it didn't look like she was making headway. The barrier held. Magneto folded his arms as Naru kept pounding away, the chunks of the tree fragmenting into splinters.
"I am impressed with your quick thinking and ferocity," said Magneto. "Yet as great as your power is, Naru Osaka, you're no match for me."
He thrust out an outstretched hand, and suddenly Naru felt an electric shock run through her. She was blasted back, her vision a blur. Oh great, electromagnetism, Naru thought fearfully.
Still, Naru wasn't about to give up. She glared up at Magneto, who was now hovering a few meters above the street. Naru unleashed a volley of black lightning, but that couldn't penetrate his shield either.
Magneto raised his hands, and the ruined vehicles from the convoy came alive. The few bystanders who had stayed behind, some taking pictures, now screamed and finally fled, seeing Magneto was getting serious. They were flung at Naru, one after another, with frightening speed. It was all Naru could do to punch them away. Worse, things like mailboxes, manhole covers, parking meters and lampposts were being ripped right out of the ground.
Naru had to use her tendrils to knock away all the things hurled at her like missiles. They were coming from all directions, putting Naru on the defensive. If Umino hadn't made her practice using her oil slick this way, Magneto would have clobbered her already.
She caught glimpses of how the fight was going for the others, and it wasn't good. There were just too many mutants to fight off. Toad snuck up on Fury, and flung him across the street with that freaky tongue. Frenzy powered through Sunfire's atomic flame and took him down with a single punch. And finally, Exodus blindsided Walters with a blast that looked like it could have obliterated Mount Fuji. She was still in one piece, but she toppled, screaming.
"She-Hulk, NO!" Naru cried out.
"Walters will survive, Osaka," came Magneto's voice over the din of battle. "You'd best look out for yourself."
Something erupted from the asphalt around Naru. Power cables wrapped around her like serpents. They delivered a huge jolt of electricity, exacerbated thanks to her oil slick being out.
The cables released her, letting her slump to the ground. Only for strips of metal wrested from the armored car, and parts of lampposts, to wrap around her. Naru summoned all her strength to break free, but Magneto sent another electromagnetic jolt through the scraps, making her scream again. It was finally too much. Naru felt herself drift away and her oil slick retract as Magneto levitated her bindings up toward him.
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Umino couldn't believe it. For a moment, it looked like Naru's plan would work. But once the Brotherhood and Acolytes attacked in earnest, Nick Fury, Sunfire and She-Hulk went down fast. Worse, that distracted Naru long enough for Magneto to blindside her. Now he had what he came for.
Hold on a minute. Aren't Hulks supposed to recover really quick, just like Wolverine? Umino thought. He had hidden under a parked cab far enough from the fight for Magneto to not bother with, on Fury's urging. Umino felt like a coward, but what could he do against any of these mutants?
He spotted Walters. She rose to one knee, gagging. Unfortunately, Exodus was still hovering over her, watching her warily. At least, until the Blob took it upon himself to knock her back down and pin her. By sitting on her.
Umino grimaced, then spotted something else amid the chaos. There, in the middle of the street, was Fury's plastic gun. He looked back up to Magneto. It didn't look like his shields were up anymore. If he could take him out, would that release Naru? And if She-Hulk could free herself, could they go another round together?
Before he could act on that thought, Umino heard a familiar voice cry out, "Hold it right there, Magneto!"
"Took you long enough, Usagi," Umino grumbled. Hopefully, that Sabretooth guy didn't hear him.
"Just as Naru was willing to see humanity isn't so bad and take responsibility for everything she's done, you have to mess everything up again!?" From his vantage point, Umino couldn't see Sailor Moon. But with the way several of the Brotherhood and Acolytes were staring up at some rooftop, he figured she was standing over its edge, flanked by several Sailor Senshi. "Unforgivable, Magneto!"
Magneto looked more amused than anything else. "My dear, anyone ever tell you that alerting your enemy to your presence with such dramatic speeches is hardly sound tactics?"
"Yeah, Magneto, we'll admit that's kind of our thing," came Mars's voice. "But not theirs!"
That was when the X-Men struck, and struck hard. Lightning bolts rained down, courtesy of Storm, forcing the enemy to scatter and giving windows of opportunity for the others to attack.
Umino crawled out from under the cab for a better look. Colossus charged in and laid a haymaker on Blob's face, coaxing him to get off Walters and fight back. With an animalistic howl, Wolverine hurled himself at Sabretooth, just as Rogue launched herself at Magneto like a missile.
A cement truck knocked her aside, but Iceman made a pass on his ice slide, with Gambit along for the ride. They both unloaded on Magneto, careful to not hit Naru. Toad leaped at them to knock them off, but Beast intercepted him in midair, roaring. Avalanche had hung back, but now used his power to make the street itself ripple and flow. He tried to take out Cable, who was forcing back Unuscione's psionic exoskeleton. He easily protected himself with telekinesis, while Shadowcat rose up behind Avalanche, taking him down with ridiculous ease.
And by then, the Sailor Senshi had joined in. Exodus was forcing back Venus's Crescent Beam and Neptune's Submarine Reflection. For the moment, he was occupied. Jupiter had Frenzy covered, tackling her hand-to-hand. Though Frenzy was much stronger, Jupiter was faster, and easily stayed one step ahead. Random was blasting away at Uranus and Mercury, at least until Uranus scored a direct hit with a blast from her sword. That made Random's torso explode into some icky, grey goo, and Mercury froze him in place with Shine Aqua Illusion.
Tuxedo Kamen ducked and wove around the Kleinstocks, easily evading their clumsy swings and energy blasts. With a howl of fury, he struck one of their heads with his cane. Mystique had sprouted wings and took to the air. No doubt she intended to fire down from her vantage point. But whenever she wasn't avoiding an elemental assault from Storm, Chibi-Moon kept her occupied with flurries of pink hearts.
That left Sailor Moon and Mars to help take down Magneto. Mars used Burning Mandala to pelt his shields as Gambit and Iceman made another pass. The ice slide was shattered by some cars flung at it, but it looked like the fight was finally getting to Magneto.
Sailor Moon kept up the pressure. "Moon Gorgeous Meditation!" she howled, blasting away at Magneto's shields with her finisher. "Let go of Naru! LET GO!" Sailor Moon demanded. Mars also poured it on with Fire Soul. For a moment, it looked like those shields were faltering.
And Umino was stuck in the middle of all this chaos. Even when caught up in the Sailor Senshi's other fights, he had never felt this helpless. He promised Naru he'd do everything he could for her, but without superpowers of his own, what was he supposed to do?
His eyes widening, Umino looked back to Fury's gun. For a moment, he hesitated. After everyone convinced Naru not to kill in cold blood, could he do this? But that was when Erina Kizachi posed no threat. This was in the middle of a firefight, with Naru's life on the line. His mind made up, he dove for the gun, then rushed over to get a better shot at Magneto.
A manhole cover flew out of nowhere, knocking Sailor Moon off her feet and the wind out of her. Mars, meanwhile, had to leap back to avoid getting flattened by a car. If he was to make this shot, it had to be now. Umino aimed up, and fired.
But as he feared, Magneto's shields were still up. The bullets, whatever they were made of, shattered into nothingness. Magneto slowly turned his head to glare down at him. With his face mostly in shadow, Umino couldn't see much, but his legs turned to jelly nonetheless.
Worse, Umino's antics didn't go unnoticed by Magneto's followers. "Filthy little flatscan!" Frenzy roared. Umino turned to see Frenzy knock Jupiter aside, then charge at him. She grabbed and crushed Fury's gun with one hand, and hoisted Umino up by his neck with the other. "You DARE think you can slay the savior of mutantkind so easily, human scum!?"
"Frenzy! The boy is not to be harmed! Understood!?" Magneto bellowed. Suddenly, a parking meter wrapped itself around Umino. He was pulled from Frenzy's crushing grip and levitated up into Magneto's shields with Naru. "We have the two we've come for! Voght, it's time to leave!"
"Not so fast, buckethead!" came Wolverine's raspy voice. Umino and Magneto both looked up to see Wolverine leaping down, arms spread and claws out.
"Logan, will you ever learn?" Magneto asked in a singsong voice. Umino gulped, realizing what would happen. With his powers, Magneto could control Wolverine like a puppet due to his adamantium skeleton.
Thus, he easily flung Wolverine away. And to both Umino and Wolverine's horror, Magneto made it so his claws sank into She-Hulk's heart and intestines, just as she was leaping at Magneto.
The two of them skidded along the asphalt, stopping only when they collided with an overturned car. Walters had a look of utter shock on her face, while Wolverine looked horrified. That was the last thing Umino saw before the world became a haze of green gas, and he felt his very body drift away.
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For quite a while, Sailor Moon was on her knees, sobbing. She couldn't believe Magneto and his cronies kidnapped Naru and Umino so easily. Both teams came at them with everything they had, but they still slipped away. Just when it looked like Naru was seeing sense, Magneto had to come back and ruin things all over again, plus spring Erina Kizachi out of prison.
He obviously still wanted Eclipse in his ranks. After those closest to her were once brainwashed, Sailor Moon didn't want to think of what Magneto could do to make that happen. It left a sickening feeling in her stomach. Well, that and Magneto lobbing a manhole cover there.
"He really was as tough as the X-Men said," Sailor Moon muttered as she rubbed her stomach. She was dimly aware of approaching sirens. Ambulances and more police were arriving on the scene. On top of that, television reporters were already there.
Sighing, Sailor Moon rose. Like it or not, she was still the face of the pushback against anti-mutant hysteria, and as always, the guardian of love and justice. Now that people in Japan were being made aware that Magneto was playing them through Kizachi, they would look to the Sailor Senshi for answers. Too bad, at the moment, she didn't have any.
She made her way over to the ambulances. In doing so, Sailor Moon passed by a female reporter who was facing a camera. "The convoy transporting Naru Osaka, better known as Eclipse, to prison was attacked by Magneto and his forces, aiming to free her. Eyewitness accounts say that instead of willingly going with him, Eclipse took it upon herself to fight the mutant terrorists off. She proved unsuccessful, and an attempt by the Sailor Senshi and X-Men to free her failed as well, leaving a scene of utter devastation along the street."
Sailor Moon looked down the street. All the metal objects Magneto had taken control of strewn about, the smashed walls, windows and asphalt... Wow, superhero battles really can be destructive, she mused. Too bad the Sailor Senshi have nothing to show for it.
Suddenly, that reporter called out her name, and she turned around. The next thing she knew, cameras and microphones were being shoved in her face. Reporters fired off questions so fast, Sailor Moon's brain couldn't keep up.
"Sailor Moon! Sailor Moon! What do you think Magneto wants with Eclipse!?"
"Can you confirm reports that Erina Kizachi was working with Magneto? Did he really want her to build and unleash those Sentinels!?"
"Are the Sailor Senshi worried, with the police around? Charges against the Senshi have yet to be dropped..."
"What about the X-Men? The Sailor Senshi were fighting them before. What made you take up their cause?"
"Do the Sailor Senshi intend to follow Magneto to retrieve Eclipse? Isn't he in space? Can the Sailor Senshi reach him there?
Sailor Moon's mind was blank. To think, once upon a time, she wanted desperately to be on television. Maybe even get her own anime. All she wanted right then was to slip away. "Well, err, uhh... I-I-I-I need to see to the people who were hurt, first," she got out.
Sailor Moon turned and bolted, fuming at how some of the reporters were following. She passed by Cable and Colossus. Hopefully their presence would dissuade them from being so nosy.
Upon reaching the first ambulance, Sailor Moon saw Nick Fury sitting on the back bumper. His forehead was stitched up after being cut open, and he looked exhausted and humiliated.
Compared to Sunfire, he was lucky. He was on a stretcher being loaded into that ambulance, but upon seeing Sailor Moon, he called for the paramedics to stop. "Sailor Moon, I must apologize... We could not protect your friend."
"It's OK, Sunfire," said Sailor Moon. "The odds were against you. There's no shame, not when you put up a fight like that."
"That's doubly true of Eclipse," said Sunfire. "You'll be happy to know she fought valiantly. I've seldom seen such courage, and it was clear she cared more about the people around her than herself. If you sought to save her soul, Sailor Moon, you succeeded."
But now, I just have to figure out how to save Naru PERIOD, Sailor Moon thought glumly. "Just worry about yourself for now, Sunfire." After he was loaded into the ambulance, she turned to Fury. "How about you?"
"I'll be fine. Princess Toadstool just blindsided me is all," said Fury aloofly. He stood to let the ambulance drive off. "Shulkie's the one I'm a bit worried about."
With the first ambulance gone, Sailor Moon could see another. Walters was about to be loaded onto it. Wolverine watched with shame in his eyes. Beast stood beside him, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
"Yeah, Shulkie's heart and belly got a hot adamantium injection, courtesy of Mags," said Fury. "Normally, she'd be fine after a few minutes. But Exodus's freaky power blast must've taxed her healing factor in some way. It may be an hour or more before she's back on her feet."
Sailor Moon shook her head, crying. How could their efforts to rescue Naru fail so spectacularly? She ran over to Wolverine. "Logan, she's got healing power like yours, right? Won't she be OK?"
"I hope so, kiddo," Wolverine muttered.
Sailor Moon felt someone grasp her wrist. Turning around, she saw that Walters had snapped some of the straps on her stretcher to grab her. "Don't worry about me. Go get my client," she said in slow, measured tones.
The paramedics urged her to take it easy, then loaded Walters onto the ambulance. If Fury was right, she might be healed by the time they reached the hospital. In case she wasn't, Walters was clear: she was counting on Sailor Moon to mount a rescue.
Tears flowed down Sailor Moon's cheeks. Even complete strangers like She-Hulk and Sunfire trusted her without a second thought. But what did she have to show the people of Japan now?
She looked around, blinking back tears. The Sentinels were gone, yet the parts of the city were still getting blasted away because of this conflict. Naru was getting her head screwed back on right, only for Magneto to take her away. Plus, there was still a lot of division within the country, some wanting Naru's head, while others expected to see the courts do their job.
Bystanders crept back, though the police had set up barricades to keep them away. Occasionally, the police would shoot furtive glances at Sailor Moon, or the X-Men or other Senshi. Technically, the Sailor Senshi were still wanted criminals. Plus, she caught the curious glances from the crowd being held back, and the reporters who were thankfully keeping their distance now.
Whatever they were thinking, about the Sailor Senshi or mutants or whatever, one thing was clear. They all expected Sailor Moon to do something, to end this.
I can't end everything myself, Sailor Moon thought. Enough people in Japan have to decide they've had enough, to break the cycle. But right now, there's ONE thing I can do...
"Sailor Moon, are you better now?" came Storm's voice. Sailor Moon looked to see the X-Men's leader walking up with Gambit and Chibi-Moon. "I... was hoping to discuss what comes next."
"So was I," said Sailor Moon quickly. "The Sailor Senshi are going to use the Sailor Teleport to break into Asteroid M and rescue Naru and Umino."
Storm had seen a lot over the years, but it didn't surprise Sailor Moon when her eyes widened in shock. "Sailor Moon, I understand you're eager to get them back from Magneto," said Storm. "But think for a moment, it's..."
"Forget thinking this through, Storm!" Sailor Moon spat vehemently. "Naru hero-worshipped me because Sailor Moon rushed to her side that day the youma first appeared. Then got her hopes crushed when she didn't do something as simple as get yakuza off her mother's back. That's not happening anymore. We know where Magneto's taken her, we have a way of getting there. So we're marching right onto his turf, taking her back, and we'll finally show Magneto and his goons what happens when you mess with the friends of the Sailor Senshi!"
There was stunned silence for a moment, then Gambit said with a grin, "Well, nothin' like a good suicide mission to wind down an evening. I'm in if you are, Stormy."
"Gambit, come on!" Chibi-Moon protested. Looking to Sailor Moon, she said, "Sailor Moon, try not to be an idiot for a second. Magneto just trashed us on OUR turf! We go to Asteroid M, he'll have the home field advantage and his ENTIRE army behind him. We need some sort of plan first..."
"S.H.I.E.L.D.'s got some tactical data on Asteroid M, if you're serious about this," said Fury. "And I'm sure the X-Men got plenty more."
"Indeed we do, Fury. Sailor Moon, we'll happily work with you to formulate a plan. We have no intention of abandoning your friends to Magneto, either," said Beast. "Sailor Chibi-Moon raises some valid points, however. Even worse, thanks to all the information Erina Kizachi shared, Magneto is well aware of the Sailor Teleport. The Sailor Senshi will not have the element of surprise."
"I don't care, McCoy," Sailor Moon snapped. "I'm through seeing Naru used and abused. This ends tonight, one way or another."
"Still, it would be suicide to infiltrate Asteroid M without some sort of plan," said Storm gravely. "You must take some time to..."
"OK, I'll take some time to make a plan. About four seconds," Sailor Moon spat. "The Sailor Senshi teleport in first, keep Magneto's flunkies occupied, and then the X-Men approach in the Blackbird while they're distracted. Your plane can go up into space, right?"
"Why, yes, it is capable of leaving the atmosphere," said Beast.
"Then what's the problem, Hank?" said Iceman, walking up to them. "Don't you remember, when Angel was snagged by Magneto? We didn't hesitate when the opportunity to bust into Asteroid M presented itself. Naru showed she's not all bad. Why shouldn't the X-Men do the same for her?"
Sailor Moon smiled at Iceman, thankful for the show of support, then looked hopefully to Storm. She had her own team to lead, and had to carefully weigh all the variables. But to Sailor Moon's relief, she soon said, "Very well, I'm sure the professor will agree with you, Iceman. We brief the Sailor Senshi on all we have on Asteroid M, then follow them there."
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When they had rematerialized, Umino could tell they were no longer in Japan, or anywhere on the planet for that matter. Seeing Earth right outside a huge set of windows circling a good part of the chamber was his first clue. To make it worse, he could see Greenland and Scandanavia. This Amelia Voght had transported them clear across the planet.
Great. On a hunk of metal and rock floating in space with a living magnet, not to mention of bunch of other mutants with the biggest chips on their shoulders ever, Umino mused fearfully.
The Brotherhood and Acolytes drew back, giving Umino and Naru plenty of room in that rather spacious chamber. However, Umino kept watching Magneto, who stood relatively close by on a slightly-elevated dais, flanked by Erina Kizachi, Mystique and Exodus. Umino couldn't tell how miffed he was from being shot at. He merely stared back at Umino for a moment, then raised a hand.
Umino flinched, fearing the worst. Instead, he felt the parking meter loosen. It fell to the chamber's floor with a clang, then the metal scraps binding Naru came off.
"There's no need for such restraints here," said Magneto amiably. "Here on Asteroid M, all mutants, and those closest to them, are welcome. Speaking of which, please check on Osaka, wouldn't you Umino? I fear I may have been a bit too harsh with her."
Despite his fear, Umino shot Magneto a dirty look. Still, with a sigh, he knelt down to check Naru's vitals. Her pulse was erratic, but strong, and her breathing was steady.
Umino looked back up when he heard some sort of door slide open. Some of the Acolytes and Brotherhood turned to see two new arrivals. The first had to be Pyro, who had remained on Asteroid M for whatever reason. The other guy wore an Acolyte uniform, and had brown hair tied back into a ponytail. He had a stern expression, that of someone always scheming.
"So, we bagged the walkin' oil slick and her human boytoy no problem?" Pyro asked.
"No. We ran into the skirts, along with the X-Men," Sabretooth snarled. "Coulda used ya to deal with Sunfire, and then Sailor Mars again."
"Pyro had his reasons, a rather nasty spell with the Legacy Virus," said Exodus dismissively. Then he glowered at the other guy. "Cortez, however, has no such medical excuse." Cortez glared back at Exodus, but bit his tongue.
"Enough bickering," said Magneto. He didn't raise his voice, but there was a firmness to his words nonetheless. "We're here to show Naru Osaka we're better than that. Umino, how is she?"
Umino glared at Magneto again, but then he felt Naru stir. Her eyes slowly fluttered open, gazing up at him. "U-U-U-Umino, w-w-w-what happened?" Naru's eyes snapped open completely all of a sudden. No doubt it was coming back to her. "Umino, where's Magneto!? W-W-W-Where are we!?"
"Where you belong," said Magneto simply. That made Naru leap to her feet, though her legs still looked wobbly. "Naru Osaka, I bid you welcome to Asteroid M."
Naru's gaze slowly swept the chamber, only stopping when she saw Earth right outside. She stared out at it for a moment. Umino wondered what was going through her head. Hopefully not an urge to fight these creeps again, or grab him and teleport away. Oh, he was tempted to risk that pain again, if he was confident Naru could teleport as far as Amelia Voght.
"So, this is where you wanted to take my mother," Naru said frostily. "The view sure is nice. Maybe she would've grown to like it here. Of course, she's gone now, thanks in part to that scheming little roboticist standing right next to you."
Umino looked over to Kizachi. Those sickly, chalky eyes were harder to read than Magneto's, but there was a deadness to them now.
"Kizachi may yet pay a price for her folly, but that can wait for the moment," said Magneto.
"Why is that?" Naru challenged, still not looking at them. "If she failed so badly in your eyes, why free her along with me?"
"As I said before, unfinished business," said Magneto. "As you must know by now, she built those Sentinels not to protect humans in Japan from our kind, but as part of a ploy to exacerbate their fear and hatred of us. To show mutants the world over that no nation will ever truly tolerate our kind."
"Not to mention, have something in her back pocket with which to fight the Sailor Senshi," Naru added icily.
"The point is, Naru Osaka, that Erina Kizachi wants to die secure with the knowledge that her daughter's kind will soon dominate the Earth," said Magneto. "To that end, she's also shared all of her work with me. You once plotted to seize those same Sentinels, with Umino's help. You may yet get another chance for these Sentinels to be your chariots, and let your countrymen see the folly of always looking down at our kind."
Naru finally looked back to Magneto, horrified. Umino gave voice to her horror. "That was the endgame? You were going to get the designs for these anti-Senshi Sentinels?"
Finally, Kizachi said something. She flashed a small grin. "Why not? I'm not long for this world. What better way to stick it to my fellow humans, than for mutants to one day strike back with weapons meant to exterminate them? You felt the same way at one point, Osaka, and even Umino was willing to go along with it."
"Except it's not all humans who are our enemy," said Naru. "You say you caused that monorail accident to open my eyes, Magneto? Well, Sailor Moon opened a lot of their eyes, too. I was too blinded by anger to acknowledge it before, but no longer." She turned back to Umino, smirking. "Of course, someone had to fire a missile at my face to get that through my thick head."
Umino flushed a little. "I didn't have the Sentinel shoot a missile AT you. It detonated NEAR you," Umino corrected quickly.
Naru smirked again, then turned back to Magneto and Kizachi. "Point is, riding a Sentinel as a platoon of them levels everything in sight isn't my idea of a good time anymore. And I won't exactly be cheering you on if you build more."
"How disappointing," Kizachi sneered. "Almost as disappointing as how you were unwilling to finish me. May I ask what's made you so weak, Osaka?"
"Erina, that's enough," Magneto snapped.
"Oh no, let her go on," said Naru dryly. "You want to know why, Kizachi? Other than letting cancer eat you alive being a much better revenge? Because it's what you would've wanted. Took long enough for it to sink in you WANTED me to be this uncontrollable, rampaging monster for Magneto's PR game, but there it is. Not to mention..." She turned to Umino, her expression softening. "I almost learned too late what that path would've cost me."
Kizachi was still hard to read, but Umino could sense Magneto was getting frustrated. "I see. Your friend holds you back."
"If you want to think of Umino as some sort of morality anchor for me, fine," Naru spat. "I doubt you'd understand. I mean, aren't your own kids AVENGERS because they want to make it clear they're nothing like you!?"
Umino swore he saw Magneto's jaw twitch underneath that helmet. Oh God, Naru... Might not be a good idea to go there.
"And does that drive your decisions as well?" Magneto asked delicately. "Has my old friend poisoned you against me so much? I will admit I have made mistakes, Naru Osaka, some terrible ones. But every decision I've made has been with one goal in mind: ensuring the survival of our kind."
"Yeah, Xavier told me about how you lived through the Holocaust," said Naru. "And now you want to start another world war, so that the 'superior' race comes out on top. I haven't decided if his X-Men are the right fit for me. But your outfit isn't right for me either!"
Naru and Magneto stared into each other's eyes for a moment. It was like some strange battle of wills, neither giving any ground. "I see. My old friend told you of what drives me, of our time together. But he's not the only reason you're still rejecting my offer out of hand, is he? You said before that what Sailor Moon has done wasn't enough to convince you to give humanity another chance. What has changed?"
Naru shrugged her shoulders. "More time to think. More time for it to sink in how you and Kizachi just wanted to use me, while all Usagi was trying to do was make things up to a friend. I told her before that it was too little, too late. Maybe it wasn't."
Magneto sighed. "And for that, you're willing to trust in human justice? In a nation whose culture puts more value in the yakuza than in mutants like their defender, Sunfire?" Umino shivered when he saw Magneto grin evilly all of a sudden. "Speaking of that, I have something for you, Naru Osaka. Something that may prove I'm not being insincere."
He waved a hand, and some sort of iris opened in the chamber's floor. Naru backed up nervously, putting an arm over Umino, not sure what to expect. But then, some lanky guy bound in metal wire was levitated up through the hole, then dropped at Naru's feet.
Umino had no idea who this was, but Naru's eyes widened. Umino could see anger boiling to the surface again, and he followed her gaze. She was staring at where part of a finger was missing. Oh no, is this guy... Is he the one Naru was looking for?
A horrified shriek confirmed Umino's suspicions. He looked over to Kizachi. Now, those eyes were finally alive with something: dread. "What is this, Lehnsherr!? Not him! He has a mutant son, remember!? You agreed not to..."
Mystique grappled Kizachi from behind, her fingers lengthening into spidery talons. She scraped underneath Kizachi's chin with two of them, and Kizachi froze.
"Shhhh, Kizachi," Mystique admonished. "You believe in letting us mutants have our way? Well, let's see what Naru chooses to do."
"Indeed, Raven," said Magneto. "Naru, it's understandable that you'd refuse to take the life of someone already dying of cancer. But this worm is also part of the reason your mother is no longer with us. None of us wished to see her die. As much as Charles and Tsukino have influenced you, I still sense you know the truth deep down. As mutants, feared and hated, justice is something we must take for ourselves. This man's fate is in your hands."
The wires around Izumi unwrapped themselves, and he fell shivering at Naru's feet. Naru stared coldly down at him, not unlike how she had stared at his aunt, ready to plow a fist through her face. Umino looked on, hoping she really had mellowed out like she said. "Naru, come on, don't play Magneto's game. Don't let him..."
Naru ignored him, reaching down to grab Izumi underneath his armpit and hoist him onto his feet. She stared up into his eyes, her teeth clenched. Her fist trembled, and Umino swore he saw dark energy crackle. A pathetic whimper was all that escaped Izumi's throat, too fearful to utter a word.
"The justice system in Japan would let him slip through the cracks. He was able to elude their police, but not me," said Magneto. "Sometimes, a person HAS to be judge, jury and executioner, even if it's distasteful."
"Maybe, Magneto," said Naru coolly, shutting her eyes. She let out a sigh of resignation. "But not this time." With that, she hurled Izumi a good distance away, close to some of Magneto's followers.
Kizachi's eyes widened in surprise, while Magneto looked frustrated and defeated once again. "Naru, you would let this vermin live after everything he has done?"
"Don't you get it yet, Magneto!?" Naru roared, rounding on him. "Being ruled by anger, a need to lash out and seek retribution... It's eaten away at Erina Kizachi, and you've let it eat away at you again and again. I'm done letting it eat away at me!"
Umino let out a sigh of relief. He had never felt prouder of Naru than he did right then.
There was a long, torturous silence in that chamber. When it was eventually broken, it wasn't by Magneto or Naru. That Sabretooth guy spoke up as he strode forward. "Well, if the skirt ain't gonna do what needs ta be done, might as well be me!"
"Creed, don't you dare!" Magneto cried, but Sabretooth already had his claws bared. With a roar like a lion's, he slashed at the startled, screaming Izumi.
Blood sprayed a good distance, splattering over an astonished, shocked Naru. She stared at the mangled remains of Gai Izumi, eyes wide with shock, trembling.
"Creed, you injudicious... I decide who lives and dies on Asteroid M, not you!" Magneto bellowed. Umino could practically smell the ozone in the air as Magneto called upon his power, aiming to teach Sabretooth a lesson.
"Oh don't worry, Magneto!" Naru barked. "You want me to punish someone for senseless carnage? I'll start with him!" She cut loose with a blast of black lightning, which made Sabretooth smack into that window with Earth just beyond it.
His fellow Brotherhood members weren't having it. The Blob charged at Naru and scooped her head up with a meaty hand. He slammed her against the chamber floor several times. Naru dug into his flesh with her fingers while letting her oil slick crawl up his arm, delivering shocks of dark power. Unuscione tried to insulate Blob from her power with that psionic exoskeleton, while Frenzy tried to pry Naru off his arm.
Instinct once again got the better of Umino's better judgment. "Hey, get off her!" he screamed just as Frenzy separated Naru from Blob. He jumped up to grab Frenzy from behind.
Frenzy threw Naru onto the chamber floor so hard, the plating buckled in a little. She turned her attention to Umino, reaching behind her to grab him.
"I don't know who's dumber! This girl for choosing you, or you for thinking a little meatbag like you can protect her!" Umino winced as Frenzy reached back with her other hand to slap him silly.
Again, he was saved by Magneto. This time, though, he made his displeasure with Frenzy known with a magnetic force bolt. Umino clambered to the floor as Frenzy screamed, doubling over.
"Frenzy, was I not clear about no harm coming to this boy!?" Magneto snarled. "Besides, his familiarity with Kizachi's programming language may be useful, now that she may not be so cooperative."
He shot Sabretooth a scathing look. Umino followed where Magneto's gaze went next. Unuscione was holding Naru down with her exoskeleton. She had little opportunity to force herself free, as Blob was pounding her with punch after punch, and Umino could only watch helplessly.
"That's enough from all of you!" Magneto roared, and Blob stopped. It could not be plainer, how frustrated he was that this gathering got him nowhere with Naru. "Get Osaka and Umino into holding while I decide what is to be done next."
Blob picked Naru up off the floor, who was barely conscious. Unuscione kept Naru shielded as Blob carried her. "Move, scrawny, if ya know what's good for ya," Blob drawled, poking Umino in the back to get him moving.
Seeing it was pointless to resist, Umino walked ahead of them. He looked back, seeing that that Cortez guy was also walking with them. Then he caught a glimpse of Kizachi. She hadn't said a word after her nephew was gutted. Kizachi had slumped to her knees, staring off into space, completely shellshocked.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"You're going after MAGNETO, Usagi!? Into SPACE!?" Ikuko cried incredulously. Just when she thought she could live with her daughter being a superhero, her little girl was now determined to do the craziest thing imaginable. Considering she had waded into an army of giant robots less than a week ago, that was saying something.
To infuriate Ikuko more, Sailor Moon just shrugged her shoulders. "Considering we survived teleporting onto an asteroid full of evil life-sucking flowers to save Mamo-chan... I think with the X-Men's help, we can pull this off."
Ikuko looked over to the Blackbird. Beast and Sailor Mercury were making some last-minute adjustments on the outside, prepping the jet for a trek into space. Some of the other Sailor Senshi and X-Men were standing around, itching to get underway.
Get a grip, Ikuko. She won't be alone, and she's got the people who best know how to fight Magneto in her corner, Ikuko told herself. Still, dread clawed at her heart.
"Any chance we can hitch a ride?" Kenji asked. "After this last week, it'll be hard to top anything I've done for the magazine. Tagging along to cover Magneto getting what's coming to him might actually do that."
Ikuko glared at him. As much as she wanted to be close to Usagi while she partook in this madness, she wasn't exactly eager to go into space.
"That... might not be a good idea," said Luna delicately. "There's no telling what's going to happen when the Blackbird gets to Asteroid M. We're counting on the Sailor Senshi distracting them long enough for the X-Men to get aboard, but it's no guarantee."
"Aw, and I had this little spycam ready to take pictures of them beating the pants off of Magneto," Shingo grumbled, looking at a little gizmo in his hands.
"Actually, why don't you give me that?" Mercury suddenly came up, and took the spycam from Shingo. "We just may be able to get you and your father the pictures you want." Shingo didn't object in the least to Mercury taking it. In fact, he blushed a little as he looked up at her.
"Ami, you've been the brains of Usagi's group, helped to keep her safe all this time," said Ikuko. "Can you honestly tell me the probability is good that you'll all make it back?"
There was a sad, uncertain look in Mercury's eyes. "It's... hard to say. There are too many variables. But it was the same way during our final stands against the Dark Kingdom and the rest." Ikuko grimaced. She didn't know that Usagi had told her family that their entire group 'died' that day in the Arctic.
"Look, Mama. Ami's got all the tactical info the X-Men and S.H.I.E.L.D. gave us on Asteroid M downloaded to her computer, and we've all looked it over ourselves. We're not flying blind," Sailor Moon said reassuringly.
"Still, can you blame me for being worried? This is MAGNETO we're talking about!" Ikuko cried.
"I know, Mama. Believe me, I know," Sailor Moon grumbled. She rubbed her tummy again. Sailor Moon didn't really elaborate on how her fight with Magneto went, and Ikuko wasn't too eager to hear more. "But we've got to try. Remember what I told you about Mamo-chan and the Dark Kingdom? We didn't know where he was taken, or what to do. The next time we saw him, he was all brainwashed and crazy. It's different now. We can go get Naru right away. She's been used and abused enough, Mama. It's got to end here."
"All of it's gotta end here." Ikuko turned to see Gambit and Beast walking up. "Mags also knows the identities of all the Sailor Senshi and their families, no? The Moon Princess needs to make it plain that the price of muckin' with any of 'em be too high," said Gambit. Ikuko shuddered. She didn't need any reminders that Magneto knew all about her family.
"Remy is quite correct. As much as I abhor violence, this may be the Sailor Senshi's best chance to end this conflict," Beast added.
"Still, I can empathize with you, Ikuko," said Luna. "All the times I had to watch the Sailor Senshi rush into a fight, forced to hang back because I'm just a cat... At least Artemis and I can hitch a ride on the Blackbird for this one."
Ikuko shut her eyes and sighed. In her mind, she understood all the logic, but it still tore at her heart. Finally, she relented and pulled Sailor Moon toward her for a hug. "Just blast Magneto away with your Ginzuishou as soon as you can and get everyone back, OK?" she asked tearfully.
Sailor Moon hugged her back. "It'll be OK, Mama. You'll see."
"It will be, Mrs. Tsukino. The X-Men will see to it that your daughter succeeds." Everyone turned to see Professor X STANDING there, though Gambit and Beast didn't look the least bit surprised. He wore some sort of strange suit, no doubt what let him walk, if only temporarily. All the stops were being pulled out for this final confrontation with Magneto. "Sailor Moon, preparations for the Blackbird are now complete. Please give us a headstart, since your Sailor Teleport can probably outpace the Blackbird."
Sailor Moon nodded as the rest of her team gathered. Tuxedo Kamen, Chibi-Moon, Uranus and Neptune stood together, and then the five Inner Senshi formed a ring around them, joining hands. Sailor Moon looked over to her family. "You three... might want to stand back a bit."
Ikuko didn't need any more encouragement to take some steps back. After a bit of hesitation, Kenji and Shingo did the same. It looked like the Sailor Senshi were all set, but then Lockheed flew out of nowhere and perched himself on Neptune's shoulder.
They all looked at the little dragon quizzically, then Jupiter looked over to the Blackbird. "Don't worry Jupiter, Lockheed'll keep you out of trouble till the X-Men crash the party!" Shadowcat cried out just as the Blackbird's rear ramp closed.
Jupiter just grunted in annoyance. Lockheed chuckled insufferably as the Blackbird roared to life. Several minutes after the Blackbird took off and vanished above the clouds, Ikuko could feel a prickling in her skin. A fierce glow built up around the Senshi. Leaves, dirt and twigs swirled around them as their power built up. The pulsating glow continued to build in intensity.
Finally, the five Inner Senshi cried, "Sailor Teleport!" A column of light shot up into the cloudy night sky, and the nine of them and Lockheed vanished up into it. They took out a good chunk of the ground they had stood on, and then, silence.
The Sailor Senshi were off, charging into who-knew-what. All Ikuko could do was pray her little girl would come back to her one last time.